5 Neighboring Hacks
By Shauna Pilgreen
It’s not what you know. It’s what you notice.
You don’t have to know certain Scripture verses or have known Jesus a long time to talk to your neighbor. All you have to do is pay attention to who and what is around you. Who’s in line in front of you? What’s happening on your street as you get the mail or water the plants?
I have little in common with skaters, but I noticed they were filming with an old camcorder doing all sorts of tricks. Rather ignoring them on the sidewalk because I don’t understand them, I asked, “How do you choose where to do your tricks?”
This opened up a short 2-3 minute conversation. And every conversation has potential to break down barriers and boost your confidence to do something with what you notice.
Do life close to home and church.
Make it easy and convenient to invite people in and invite people out. Be your own business card and marketing strategy. When you’re ordering coffee near church, make an easy ask for them to be your guest next Sunday. When you’re filling up your car, tell the other person at the pump that you’ve discovered a great church you’re attending. Choose a park close to your home to picnic at and notice who else is there. Call up the ice cream truck to park in front of your house and hang out to meet the neighbors. Do this so you can build relationships and so that others feel seen and cared for. Who doesn’t want that?
Buy something extra.
Add the word EXTRA to your grocery list until it becomes a habit! Every time you’re at the store, get something extra to give away. Keep packs of crackers in the car. Bottled water in a cooler on the front porch or in the trunk. Soup and crackers in a tote bag by the front door to take to someone when needed. Flowers always work. After you give it away, add EXTRA to the list again! Taking care of our neighbor’s physical and emotional needs can soften hearts, strengthen our communities, and help us follow Jesus.
Learn from our “should haves.”
The very essence of the word should can feel heavy and negative. Let’s learn from it instead of saying I should have invited them to church or we should have had them over before they moved or I should have stood up for that at the meeting or game. Learn from it and practice differently at your next opportunity. Practice takes the edge off and knows grace abounds around the corner.
Make a monthly date with your neighbor or city.
Choose the 22nd of the month and plan to do something SPECIFIC for your city. It can be an ongoing thing or stand alone. A day you buy or eat local. A day you’ll deliver something to someone. (see hack #3) A date to host a party or dinner club. Getting the date down is half the battle. The rest is called the victory because no matter how it goes you chose to demonstrate love and kindness out on a date!
I suggest the 22nd because it’s been deemed Love Where You Live Day based on the book Love Where You Live: How to Live Sent in the Place You Call Home.